Diving outfit



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. B. POLLARD.`

DIVING OUTEIT.

Patented Aug. 3,1897.

. .riff/.555mg In velrlnr.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. POLLARD.

V DIVING OUTFIT. No. 587,604.

Patented Aug. 3, '1897.

Il I/ t 'n Inventur. WJtneSSes f/ims mmm/f Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIeE.

JMES BAKER POLLARD, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

DIVING 'OUTFIT.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No.158'7,"6104, dated August, 1897.

Application filed October 8, 1896.

To all whom it may' concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES BAKER POLLARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Diving Outlits;- and I do declare the folle 'ving to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to `which it appertains to make and use the same, refer-- ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

Figure l of the drawings is a'representation of a side elevation of reel apparatus. Fig. 2 is an endview of same. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of head or nozzle A. Fig. 3a illustra-tes manner of connecting pipes N O l) with reel. Fig. 4 is a side view of diver with armor, dive. applied. Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing ship and diver and the application of the invention. Fig. 6 isa sectional view of helmet-joint. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of shoulder-section joint. Fig. 8 illustrates the joint between the diiferent sections. Fig. 9 shows the manner of drawing the band h together.

This invention is designed to provide a diving outfit of improved character and possessing certain advantages of 'construction and operation, as will hereinafter appear; and with this object in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention relates to the armor which closes or incases the diver and also to the means at the surface by which he is supplied with fresh air and is also enabled to communicate with the assistants above and control their operations, together with the necessary connections,

The armor will ii rst be described. This armor is made in sections, as indieated'in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings, there being a helmet portion g, a shoulder-,section a, a trunk portion b, a limb portion 0.', and shoes 7.a. The helmet portion is made in sections which meet over the top of the head from shoulder to shoulder, and is preferably of cop- Serial No. 608,283. (Nowmodel.)

per. The joint between the two sections is made by forming opposing flanges e (see Fig. 6) at their meeting edges, between whichis placed`a packing-strip e' of rubberor other suitable waterproof material, the whole being drawn together by means of binding-screws e2.

vThe helmet is contracted at its lower portion and made to come Well down on the neck to meet the shoulder-section a. The two sections are placed upon the head and are then united, the neck-opening not being sufficiently large to permit the head to be inserted therethrough. In this manner I am enabled to use a much smaller helmet it being desirable to make all parts of the armor fit as closely as possible in order that there shall be as little air-space as possible inside.

f designates one of the glass-covered openings in the front or face portion of the helmet.

The shoulder-section o. is of rubber and is made to lit the arms and shoulders closely. It is made to open at the back, the .two

' edges being turned outwardly, as indicated at (l, Fig. 7, between the joint strips or plates A packing-strip d2 isplaced between the edge portions or flanges d, and the whole is drawntogether by the screws d3. The joint between this shoulder-section and the helmet is made in the manner indicated in Fig. 8, the neck of the helmet being bent or depressed to form a groove y', which runs entirely around it. The upper edge portion of the shoulders'ection is carried into this groove and firmly secured by means of a circular band It, which is seated in the groove and upon the rubber. The two end portions of the band are bent outwardly, as indicated at 7L', and are drawn together by a screw h3, a packing h2 being in-v terposed. (See Fig. fl.) y

' The trunk-section b is of metal, preferably copper, and ismadein one piece, being slipped on over the'feet. It is made to extend from the upper line of the hips up under the arms and is closely fitted. It is, however, suliciently large to permit the natural expansion of the chest and stomach in respiration. The joint between the lower edge of the shouldersection and this trunk-section is made in the same manner as the joint between the helmet and shoulder sections, and a similar joint is IOO fas

made between the trunk and the limb portion a'. For the purpose of these joints both the upper and lower portions of the trunkfsection are formed with one of the surrounding grooves or depressions g such as above.

per edges of the shoes and the lower portionsof the legs closely around the ankles.. 'n' are similar bands at the wrists.

The trunk-section b should be of sufficient rigidity-to protect the ribs, chest, and stomach.

of thediverfrom pressure in deep-sea work. O is the fresh-air-supply pipe or hose, which enters the helmet at one side, and. N is the exhaust-pipe, which is supported by a ring c on the helmet and enters the latter at a point near the mouth. P is a pipe which forms a speaking-tube. The opposite ends of the .three pipes are connected to a reel at the surface, lwhich .is constructed as follows: The letters R, M, and Tdesignate a suitable frame in whichis journaled a shaft having the four sections E E E2 E3. D is a wooden cylinder which is iirmlyl secured on said shaft, .andK are disks 'or heads thereon which divide the reel into separate portions, one portion for each of the pipes N O P. On the shaft E E' E2 E8 are two four-way couplings K K2 and a three-way or T coupling K3. i Secured in one arm of each of these couplings is a short pipe-section H, which extends through the cylinder D and screwsintoanelbow. (SeeFigSf.) Screwed into the opposite end of the said elbow is a n-ipple-section H2, which has -an externallythreaded portion which. seats the upper end of one-of the pipes N O P. I-I-3 is aclamp which holds the pipe onsaidgthreaded por.-

tion. The pipe N i's in this manner 'connected with ,the coupling K', the pipe O with the coupling K2, and the pipe P with the coupling K3.

Secured in the opposite arms of the respective couplingsK' K2 and extending out through the cylinder D vare pipes F and G,

.I so

which terminate,l respectively, in the perforated heads A and B. VEach of these heads is provided with a valve-seat s for a valve X. The valve X in the head A is made to open outwardly, as shown in Fig. 3. -Thevalve in lthe head Bissimilar, except that it is'seated on the lower side of the seat and is designed to open inwardly.

L is lan operating-crank on an end of the reel-shaft. The section E of said shaft is hollow andv communicates with the coupling K at its inner end, its outer end being fitted to receive a pipe Q from' a suction fan or pump. The section E' is solid or else plugged to cut oftall communication between the couplings K' K2. The section E2 is also solider plugged to cut off communication between the coupthe valve in rthe head A and draws out the impure air from the helmet and a supply of fresh air in through the pipe O.

Itlwill be noted that the several pipes may be wound to a greater or less extent upon the reel without yinterfering with the action` through the air-pipes or the speaking-tube and that the diver by means of said tube can direct and control the actions of his assistants at the surface.

It'will also be noted that with the outt above described there is no air pumped into the suit to ,become heated by the body and then breathed and that the diver is not encumbored by tanks of compressed air or with a He has therefore suit puffed Vup full of air. much greater freedom of movement and much lighter.weights are required ,to sink him. The diver' is in no danger of becoming overheated and suifocated, as he can readily communicate with his assistants, and he has at all times a sufficient supply of fresh air. His ribs and chest are also protected from the pressure in deep water. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, 'and desire to secureby Letters Patent,is-

1. The' herein-described diving suit or armor, comprising a divided metallic headsection, a exible waterproof shoulder-section divided a't the back, a metallic, undivided trunk-section, andexible waterproof limb portion, said waterproof sections being close fitting, and -joined to the metallic sections in a waterproof manner,'substantially as specified.

2. The herein -described diving suit or armor, consisting of the divided metallic helmet, the flexible shoulder-section removably IIO joined to the necli portion of the helmetv in a 1 15 water-'tight manner, and arranged to open at the back, means whereby the edges of the said section are united 'in a water-tight manner, the undivided metallic trunk-section removably joined to Ithe shoulder-section, the flexible limb portion removably joined to the trunk-section, the weighted shoes, and the nkle andwrist clasps, substantially as speci- 3. Ina diving outfit, the reel-shaft having the several sections and partiallyhollow, the

couplings thereon, the speaking-tube attachf ment at one end of the said shaft, the suction.

connection at the opposite end, the valve.; air induct and educt,pipes connectedfto the said couplings, the flexible air-pipes N and O connected to the said induct and educt pipes '5 attachment through one of said couplings Witnesses:

through the said couplings, the pipe N being In testimony whereof I aix my signature also connected with the suction attachment in presence of two witnesses.

through the hollow shaft and the flexible spezvzvking-tnbeconnectedtothespeaking-tubel JAMES BAKER POLIARD Aand a hollow portion of the shaft, substan- T. E'MCKEAN, 'tiallyas specified. JOHN J. GARRY. 

